Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-11
CRACKER COMPANY.
Keeping Up With the Band
Wagon From the Com
mand March,
The Factory in Its New Quarters
Box Factory Added TO the
City's Industries.

The Wichita Cracker Company is very
located in their new building on
Fourth avenue. between Douglas avenue and /
First street. The building has 4 front or |
fifty feet, one hundred and twenty feet deep /
and three stories high 1t is built of ST. |
Louis pressed brick, with stone trimmings, |
and the basement and all the floors are occu-
pied by the factory. In the center OF the
building is freight elevator with capacity
of six thousand pounds. The building Is
heated by steam and supplied with all the
more modern convenience.
As is known, the proprietors, Messrs.
Gehring & Phillips, have been in that bust
ness in the city for over three years. They
came here from Ottawa, Illinois, having
spent the most of their lite In
the cracker business Being perfectly
familiar with the business they
came to Wichita TO establish business when
it was then adju5ged, and since demonstrat-
ed. that the rewards of labor are greater
than in any other locality in which they had
been engaged in business. From small
beginning-large enough to prove the supe-
rior merit of the city-they have increased
their business until their establishment is one
of the leading enterprises of that kind IN
the west and they are enabled to compete
most successfully, in the vast territory
arouud Wichita, for the trade. The bust
ness OF the firm has continually been on the
increase and several months ago the company
was reorganized the capital stock and ar
rapeements made for more spacious quar-
| ters
| The capital stock is now 500
900, owned by Messrs. G. Gehring
| C. D. Phillips and J. O. Davidson. At the
beginning the factory 10 the cracker depart
ment used only eight barrels of flour per
day, employing about twenty five hands At
present twenty-five barrels of -four are used
daily which, owing to increased advantages,
can be handled by forty hands Tho plant
has the capacity OF using forty barrels per
day. and from present indications of the con-
dition of trade, it would seem that ere long
that amount would be called for. The com
pany has now liz its employ four travelling
men, and more will be added in short time,
as it is impossible for that number to visit
all the points that can be controlled by
Wichita At present the representatives of
the company 90 west to Colorado and have
built UP some trade in Colorado.
Visit New Mexico, Texas, In
dian Territory; north to Nebraska
and east to Cherryvale. What is known as
the dull season. is as yet stranger to the
company as the business has constantly been
on the increase; the sales of each months ag-
gregating more than the proceeding. The
orders sent in by the agents are not only in
creasing but where ever the goods have been
introduced each mail brings good news for
the business department. They report being
able to hold the territory naturally tributary
to Wichita, against all invaders, even though
they be tie largest cracker factories in the
east.
All goods are received and shipped at the
rear end of the building The basement Is
devoted to engine room and barrels of lard,
molasses, sugar and box material and paper.
The engine Is twenty horse power running the
elevator and all the machinery of the plan t
The boiler is twenty-five horse furnishing
all the steam used in the building.
On the first floor is the bakery proper. II
is presided over by Mr.. Henry Peters who
has been with the company for over year
He is first class man for the position com
ing here from ST. Louis having been engaged
in the business for many years employed IL
the leading factories OF the country. They
make about one hundred varieties Of crack
} ers, making certain goods on certain days
On Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays tn
sweet goods are manufactured and on tn
other working days the sponge goods. Tn
crackers are convey ed from the oven on frs
floor to tables On second floor where abou
fifteen hands are employed in putting then
into boxes.
The offices and shipping room is on the frs
floor and the former are very neatl,
3 fitted up. On the second floor is the IN
: Admittance" room and with great difficult.
even a reporter darkens the door entering
therein. In it are stored some of the choic
goods for safe keeping.
The stock of fine candies, nuts. CONNECTION
aries and cigars are kept on the third foo
on which is also the candy manufacture
Over five hundred varieties of candy ar
made In this department the hands wor
regularly on one line of goods. all using nea
fifteen barrels of sugar per day, making tw
thousand pounds of candy. In no depart
;. ment does the company accumulate stoc
but always their output is in demand, givin
=, customers fresh goods.
The factory uses near three thousand boxe
per week. They are received IN the "knocs
down" shape from Memphis. They are pu
together here and goods packed in barrek
boxes, semi-boxes, tin cans and paper CA
ICONS. The candies are packed in pals an
; boxes made in St. Louis.
The cracker factory and number OF othe
enterprises in the city served a. good POM
ers for a box factory in the city. As n
suit Mr.. Joe Lewis, OF Quincy, Illinois. too
the hint, and some time ago decided TO star
in the city an enterprise of that sort. As
o result he went east some weeks ago an
). bought the necessary machinery for Il
plant. He has returned after making n
purchase and the machinery vii De here
: e few weeks His plant viii be OF caDaca'
;. sufficient to supply ali houses needing boT'
Is for packing purposes in the cifF' Inc nn'
e ,arial viii be received in the knock do"
. condition and put together in his plant
< The cracker company have caught Oh 70
/ rau Find ~ va.ar zo~ks Their plant col